“Then tell me what happened,” he ordered brusquely, his hand moving to the button on his fly again. “Or I strip.”
Emily inhaled sharply, glared up at him. “I couldn’t sleep, so I came back down later. I found Knox in the hot tub.”
“Ah.” He nodded his head, turned back to the stove, and began dishing things onto plates. “Keep going.”
As I expected, Emily attempted to stall, offering to help. For whatever reason, I wanted to see where this might lead, so I picked up the storytelling for her. “She joined me in the hot tub.”
“Only because you insisted,” she argued, going to the refrigerator and pulling out the orange juice.
“She kissed me,” I said, watching her intently.
“Was that also because he insisted?” Kieran asked, delivering the plates to the table, setting Emily’s in the booth between us.
I watched Emily, waiting for her response. Her cheeks were heating again, but I was impressed because she didn’t back down.
She was watching me just as intently when she said, “No. I kissed him because I wanted to.”
Every ounce of blood in my body diverted to the rigid flesh between my thighs. My cock stirred as our eyes held, memories of that night shared between us. We remained like that until Kieran came over, directed Emily to take a seat. She eased onto the bench, moved around so that her back was to the windows.
Kieran followed suit, taking a seat on her other side. He was still shirtless, still taunting me.
For the next few minutes, we ate in silence. I could practically hear the hamster wheel turning in Kieran’s head, knew he was working on a plan to get Emily to open up. I was curious as to whether she would or not. I got the feeling she would not back down as long as we pushed.
Kieran was the first to put down his fork and pick up his juice. “At least tell me what happened that hurt your feelings.”
Emily’s head snapped up. “He didn’t hurt my feelings.”
“No?” Kieran’s eyebrows slowly rose. “Then what? He kissed you, seduced you. Knowing him, he gave you an orgasm or two, and then he whispered sweet nothings?”
Emily shook her head, her eyes sliding in my direction, and I could see her fortified reserve when she said, “Yes, to the kissing and seducing.”
“And the orgasm,” I added when she didn’t.
“Andthat,” she muttered.
“Then what?”
Emily put her fork down, pushed her plate away, and grabbed her coffee mug. I noticed a shift in her then, the squareness to her shoulders, the slight upward tilt to her chin. Rather than look at Kieran, who was asking the questions, her gaze locked on my face.
“He kissed me, he stripped me down to my panties, he got me all hot and bothered, and he made me come with his fingers,” she said in a single rush of air. She paused to breathe in, then continued, “And then told me I wasn’t woman enough for him and walked away.”
Christ Almighty.
I held her stare, unable to speak, to breathe. I had done that. I had walked away in an effort to protect her from me. I had left her with that sentiment and thought nothing of it afterward. Based on her expression, I’d done some significant damage that night, and she’d fought hard to overcome it.
I thought back to our conversation yesterday when she’d asked if her reaction that night had been the reason I’d taken everything from her father.
Damn it all to hell.
Emily looked away first, her head swinging around to Kieran as she began scooting toward him to exit the booth.
“Please move,” she demanded softly.
Kieran’s gaze bounced between us even as he got out of his seat, allowed her to exit.
I was about to call out to her as she stormed out of the kitchen, but Kieran held up a hand to halt me.
“Give her a minute.”
